~Fairytales are written dreams~*

Monday, September 27, 2010

I have officially finished 33 books from my booklist consisting of 1001 books. That's nearly 3.3%. Quite an accomplishment, if you ask me.

Right, who am I kidding? At this rate I'll be really old before I can finish the list. But I've been thinking, that doesn't really matter, since I'm not purely reading for the sake of completing the list, but also because I love to read and I'm simply using the list as a gauge to find good books. And I'll say, some of those books are really good.

Since my last post, I've read about 4 books, if I remember correctly. They're all rather memorable and touching, especially the last book (which I'd only finish reading today), To Kill A Mockingbird. It's wonderfully written, a meaningful story told in a poignant manner. The way the writer crafts her words is almost an art, and the simple yet beautiful languages touches the reader in ways that I had never expected. It's quite a simple story, actually, almost cliche, but at the same time it's so unique. It's a story about prejudice and acceptance, showcasing the best and worst side about human nature. It rather reminds me of The Book Thief, in a sense, though of course it's much less tragic. Writing about prejudices and hypocrisy of society through the eyes of Scout is a touch of genius; the innocence of Scout and the children questions the fundamentals of certain views that many of us take for granted, and the wrongness of the prejudices is brought out all the more by the stark contrast. It requires certain reading between the lines, certainly, because a young girl, be it six years old in the beginning of the book or eight in the end, most definitely cannot understand or see things that the reader might have guessed. Meanwhile, I really just love Atticus. It's quite strange, because I fancy I like him even more than Scout, and usually my favorite character is the main character and the first character that I encounter. But then again, what's not to like about him? He's kind, wise, principled, witty and easy-going. Not to mention brave enough to do what is right over what is easy. Sometimes, I think we should all learn to look at things through the perspectives of others, especially children, because we might actually learn something that we didn't know we were ignorant of.

Our Mutual Friend is another Charles Dickens story, and I can safely say that it's one of my favorites now. True to Dickens' style, it is another witty satire, this time mocking how money can make people do all sorts of things, when in the end it is people who do not lust for riches that actually get their happy endings. I think that Lizzie's one of the character I like the most, since she's wise, kind and pretty. Well, that, and the fact that she's the first likeable character I met. And naturally, John Harmon/Rokesmith is a great guy too, and I must say I had rather hoped for the two of them to end up together. Oh well, at least they all got their happily-ever-after.

The Old Man and the Sea is a story that I'd been intending to read since a very long time ago, as it's quite a famous book. Then again, lots of books are famous and I daresay I have yet to read most of them. In any case, I did finally get around to reading it, and it's good. Painfully frank, and not much of a plot, since it mostly involves an old man fishing in the sea and his 'battle' with the gigantic marlin and his subsequent fight with the sharks, but there's something underlying the whole story that makes it sad, almost painful. I suppose it can be seen as a lament to the dying of traditions, and how the older generation is gradually fading into history, with all its talks about how the old man is not lucky any more, and the comparisons between his fishing methods and the newer, more modern ones. How, in the face of change, we become ignorant and unappreciative of our past, even as it struggles to survive, because there are just some values, such as respect for all life, that should not, and cannot be turned into history. Change is inevitable, I suppose, but the fading of a culture is always sad.

Lastly, there is the Scarlet Letter, which I have tried to read a couple of times but always failed. This time round, I forced myself to get past the few chapters, and discovered that it is actually rather captivating. Granted, the language is really archaic, with all its 'thy's and 'thou's, which is probably why I could never finish it before, but the writing and the plot is quite good. As for the theme, I suppose it's one of sinning and forgiveness, about good and evil, and how thin the line between the two is. The emphasis on the scarlet letter is a little weird, but I suppose it's the writer trying to link the title to the story. That happened with Our Mutual Friend as well, though that was only once, and even then it seemed rather contrived. I guess that's what happens when you know about the title before finishing the story, such that every link to the title sticks out like black ink on a white background.

I'm not sure whether I should start on my next book or not, to be honest. I mean, I do have exams coming up. *sigh* So many good books, and so little time to read them.

the dreams exposed ;